Merry Hellsing to All
by Genma no Ou
Summary: In the days leading up to Christmas, Sir Integra receives an invitation to an event - and all the craziness that goes with it. Rated M for language and sexual overtones.
1. The Invitation

**Genma: **Happy holidays to all of my readers.

**Alucard: ***Wears Santa hat* Aren't you forgetting something…?

**Genma: **Oh, yes. I am in no way claiming ownership to the series Hellsing. The manga belongs to Kouta Hirano, the anime to Gonzo studios, and the OVA series to Geneon animation.

**Alucard: **Very good. My Christmas gift to you will be not shooting you right here.

**Genma: **Meh, good enough. Enjoy the show.

**Order I – The Invitation**

From a far corner of the Hellsing manor, Sir Integra's attention was drawn from her paperwork as a nearby grandfather clock began to chime, signalling the coming of another hour. Listening, the Protestant Knight heard the clock chime eight times before ceasing the noise, returning to its rhythmic ticking sound. _"Bloody hell, have I really been here this long?"_

Turning to her own window, she could see that the darkness had rolled in outside, made only more apparent from the falling whit flakes of snow December; one of the most beautiful and pristine of months, and yet one Sir Integra loathed. Being jolted from her thoughts by a knocking at her office door, she turned and instructed, "Enter," before her retainer Walter opened up the door.

"Good evening Sir Integra," Walter began, walking in while carrying a silver tray with tea, scones and clotted cream. Placing the tray on an open section of her desk, he bowed at the woman's thankful nod before saying, "If I may Sir Integra, perhaps you should retire for the evening; or in the very least stop to rest for an hour or so. You have been working non-stop since this morning, and I fear this stress load is simply no good for your health."

"Neither is all this pastry you insist on bringing me," Integra responded as she took the orange, smouldering end of an old burnt-out of what was once a full cigar into the glass ashtray beside her, while Walter poured tea into a ceramic cup. "I just want to get my work completed." Taking a sip of the tea, she placed the cup and its saucer beside her ashtray and added, "Besides, if I put off completing paperwork, or so much as cut back to doing just four or five reports per day, I will have an even bigger mess of papers come the end of the month. I'd rather get the worst of it done before the month is up."

Standing facing the window, Walter placed his hand to his chin as he thought about her answer; he then responded in a pondering voice with, "Hm… yes, I suppose that's true. I also suppose with the approaching holiday and all its related festivities, that it would provide a good reason to get through tiresome work at a fast pace."

Nodding, Sir Integra took a cream-buttered scone from the tray and took a small bite before adding, "Yes; but more importantly, because of these silly festivities the Round Table meetings have been giving a noticeably small load of paperwork for the past few weeks." T a sip from the teacup on her desk, she also added, "Oddly enough, reports of attacks have been rather low as of recent as well. Given this abundance of extra time, it seems prudent to catch up on back-logged work." Looking up at her butler accusing, she asked, "Why are you suddenly so concerned about me taking some time off anyway, Walter?"

Instead of answering the personal question, the butler simply pulled out a small envelope from his breast pocket and handed it to the woman. "This letter came for you in the mail this morning, Sir Integra. I suspect it must have been misplaced at some point." Integra took out her letter opener from her top drawer and sliced the top open while Walter added, "I did not open the parcel, but I think we both know what it says inside."

Gaining a look of sheer bitterness, Integra tossed the unopened document to the floor. "Absolutely not. Tell them I decline the invitation, the same as any other year. You'd think they'd have learned by now that inviting me to these things is utterly pointless."

Walter picked up, opened and then looked over the discarded letter. "Hmm," the elderly man said as he cleared his throat, "Sir Integra, I am not one to force something on you, but I would ask that you reconsider this. It seems that those in attendance are not simply our fellow Knights of the Round Table this year; it will be their escorts as well."

Sighing, the suit-clad woman stood up from the desk and said in a defeated tone, "I just don't go to these subjective parties, Walter." When it seemed as though Walter would respond, Integra raised a hand to silence him. "Meetings with those men are dreadful enough; but honestly, having to engage in conversation with them, not to mention _dance,_ is simply out of the question." she retorted, not taking her eyes off the scattered paper before her.

"Forgive me Sir Integra, but if I might state that we all must endure thing we'd rather not do. If I may speak freely, but I believe it would probably be in your interest to think about this decision. For it seems not only the Council of Twelve and their guests will be there." Walter said, continuing to study the invitation.

Integra sighed, "No, they are not the only ones in attendance. Members of the Royal Family shall be there, as well as Her Majesty personally. I just hope they don't invite that worthless bitch Camilla."

"It would not look so good for the Hellsing family's reputation if they rejected an invitation from the Queen," Walter responded, trying his hardest to sell Sir Integra on the idea." We're already on shaky ground for keeping vampires and foreign mercenaries as it is; the last thing we want is to seem as though we hold ourselves higher than Her Majesty."

"No; we certainly wouldn't want to appear that way to our reigning Monarch, now would we?" the ominous voice of Integra's dark servant resonated as Integra's shadow elongated from her feet up along the wall. As the shadow became a red mass, the form of Alucard appeared from it and he told her, "Besides, come now Master; I think it sounds like lot of fun."

Giving an annoyed look to the No-Life King, Integra flatly told him, "You should know by now it's rude to eavesdrop on another person's conversation, Alucard. Especially if you then interject yourself."

The vampire then stepped outwards from the wall, walking towards Integra while giving his Cheshire cat grin and exposing his fangs "I know, Master. But I was already on my way here, and simply overheard your conversation as I came in."

Integra found that hard to believe; but still she responded to him. "Well, since you overheard us, you're well aware of the fact that I will not be in attendance."

Alucard tilted his head, peeking at the invitation on the desk from behind his crimson sunglasses. "And why ever not? I would think you would go there just to show them you're not afraid of a little socializing; after all, it is the season of giving if I'm correct. Why not give those stuffy old men a real surprise?"

"I have too much work to do for this organization, which you contribute to in no small part," Integra told him, sitting back down behind the desk. "I have no time for such trivial matters, and am too old for menial fun." Integra stopped her long tirade at this point, finally looking her servant in the eye.

"Hmph.. that's a truly absurd argument Master," Alucard scoffed, crossing his arms. "There is never a time in your life when you're too old for a little fun and amusement. I happen to be a good example; as was your father. Even Walter over here still finds time to unwind and enjoy himself occasionally." To this comment, Walter simply nodded.

Integra knew she had little choice and was running out of excuses. If she did not stop this argument soon, Alucard would completely discover her real issue with going. The woman gave a sigh as she put her pen down. "Fine. I will accept the invitation. But I am doing this for the organization and the Hellsing name; not because you'be done anything to convince me otherwise."

Walter bowed after this statement, interjecting with, "Very well then. I shall go and inform the Round Table members that that you shall be in attendance." With that the butler walked out, leaving Master and Servant alone in the awkward silence.

"Now why did you really come in?" Integra asked the red clad vampire, standing back up from her half-finished desk with her teacup in her hand.

"Hm?" Alucard asked in amusement, leaning against a wall with his left foot.

"You said earlier that you came in for some other reason, unrelated to this matter," She smirked, trying to catch her pet in a lie. "What was it exactly; because you never told me earlier?"

"I wanted to give you something." Alucard simply responded, pointing his white-glowed finger at the young Hellsing woman's desk something materialized onto it. It was a white, rectangular box held closed with black lace ribbon. Integra carefully unwrapped it and then removed the lid, and her eyes lit up upon seeing the box's contents. Flasing her servant a smile, she asked him, "You knew I'd say yes didn't you?"

"And surely you didn't think I'd let you go through the hassle looking for one of those?" Alucard retorted, watching Integra's reaction to what he had given her.

Integra looked back to the invitation again. "I suppose now the only thing I need is an escort."

"It is not necessary for you to go with one, but it would be a better idea than facing those dirty old men alone." Alucard shrugged, thinking about and loathing the idea of one of those old suits eying Integra.

"Perhaps, if it sounds so entertaining to you, then you would be the one to escort me to this event." she asked, looking into her servant's red, inhuman eyes. In response, Alucard got down on one knee, as he bowed to his Master respectfully.

"It would be a pleasure and an honor, Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing." The Nosferatu said before standing upright. "I suppose I'll go tell the Police Girl the good news."

Integra raised an amused eyebrow at his mention of the fledgling vampire in a conversation where she otherwise would not have come up. "She knows about the party then, does she?"

"She looked so disappointed when I told her parties weren't your thing. I suppose now she'll have a little bit more of a smile to go on that face of hers."

Integra let out a small chuckle at Alucard's statement. "Off you go then." Upon being given the instruction, Alucard slowly sank into his own shadow and dissolved through the floor, leaving Integra alone in her office.

~*+Down in the sublevels of the Hellsing Manor+*~

Seras lay in her chambers, sound asleep in her coffin and dead to the world so to speak. Blissfully unconscious and deep in sleep, the enfant vampire was unsuspecting to, and unaware of, the elder vampire, her sire, coming her way. Entering the room as crimson mist, Alucard materialized and then sat on the lid of her casket, tapping the top.

"Police Girl, wake up," the Master vampire said to the coffin and fledgling situated inside. After two minutes of utter silence and no result, Alucard said to himself, 'You know what?' concentrated on entering the blonde's dreaming mind.

'Hey Police Girl! Wake up!' Alucard demanded, continuing with his pestering. He was determined to get a result no matter how long it took. 'Police Girl, Police Girl, Police Gir…' Alucard stopped as he plopped on the stone floor after the tired fledgling removed the coffin's lid, unaware of who was on it.

"Ugh, God, what time is it?" She asked the air as she checked her wrist watch. It seemed that it was already 8:30 p.m., long past when she usually got up.

"I believe you slept, in Police Girl," the dark voice piped up with from beneath the overturned coffin lid, on the floor where he was situated.

Seras' eyes widen in shock upon seeing that she had pinned her master to the floor. "M-Master? I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were here, gosh I'm so sorry." She squeaked to the red fedora poking up as she moved the oak lid away.

"Think nothing of it Police Girl; it was nothing at all," Alucard replied, dusting himself off after rising from the ground.

"Does Sir Integra need us for an assignment?" The fledgling asked worriedly, worried she was holding up the entire squad.

"No, but she does have to do with why I'm here." Alucard began, sneering as he took off his glasses. "You remember how I mentioned that Christmas party she was invi-"

"Did she say yes?" The cheery vampire asked as she cut off her master, an enthusiastic smile on her face.

Alucard smirked at the young girl's excitement. Even after all the things this job had forced upon her, she was still a vibrant young ball of energy and optimism. She was almost like a young child, which made her even more like a daughter not just to Alucard, but to all of Hellsing. "Why yes she did, actually."

Seras' eyes widened so far they looked like they would tear from the tension on her skin. "Oh that's great! Will you be going too, Master?"

Alucard chuckled at the question. "Of course; I am to be her escort at the party. Someone needs to keep those filthy, old hands off My Master," he added, now taking on a more protective tone; but also easily shaking it off as he continued. "As well…" He started, "After a bit more discussion, I'm also to inform you that you are invited as one of Sir Hellsing's guests."

Seras gasped. She had not been to a Christmas party since the tenth grade; but this was something else entirely. "Really? You're not joking about this, are you Master?"

Alucard patted her blonde head, "Why would I jest about that?"

"This is amazing!" Seras cheered, raising her hands to the air. "I've never been to a fancy party before, with dancing and so many people and…" Seras trailed off. "Um, Master…?"

"Yes?" Alucard inquired, knowing his Draculina was about to ask him something important to her.

"Do you think Sir Integra would be okay with me bringing someone along as a guest?" She asked shyly.

"I don't see why not, depending on your ideal guest. Who did you have in mind?" The Nosferatu asked, curious of the answer Seras gave.

"Well I was thinking of bringing the captain along, if it were alright. He'd love to see a party like this just as much as I would, I'm certain."

"Ah yes, the French Mercenary with the eye patch…" Alucard reflected, putting his hand to his chin as he tried to remember the man's name and failed. "…What's his name again?"

"Pip. Pip Bernadotte," Seras chimed in. "I mean… if he looked presentable and wanted to come, of course. I wouldn't try and embarrass Sir Integra or anything."

Alucard looked down at her, an intrigued smirk on his face. "I don't see any problem with that; and I think as long Integra knows you want to bring someone it should be fine."

"I think I'll go ask him now then," Seras said and began levitating up to the ceiling, starting to slide straight through using her abilities.

"Oh? And what is this?" Alucard asked aloud, incredulous to the sight before him. "My fledgling isn't using the stairs. It seems you finally started testing what you're truly capable of, Seras Victoria."

Seras went red, slightly embarrassed at such a comment from him. "T-Thank you Master; and yes, I have been practicing."

"And I'm proud," Alucard smirked as the Police Girl disappeared. _"Though I doubt she's so skilled as to master it just yet. This should be amusing…" _With that the red vampire disappeared as well, off to attend to whatever matters he could think of while Seras attended to her own matters.

*+~Meanwhile~+*

Up in the mercenaries' barracks, the guns for hire were going through their usual routine when there was no action; nothing as exciting as battle. Many of the troops decided to test their trigger fingers and went to the shooting range outside. A few lingered in the room, one was taking a nap, three were playing cards in the corner and the leader of this miniature army, Captain Pip Bernadotte was just sitting on his cot, reading a novel.

"Hm, I didn't know vampires could do that…" The mercenary said quietly to himself, pondering how he didn't know that bit of info since he worked with two of them.

"Didn't know we could do what?" A feminine voice squeaked from the ground level, getting the man's attention instantly. The Captain set down his book and jumped from his cot, having been utterly shaken by a disembodied voice speaking to him out of nowhere.

"Mignonette, that you?" Pip asked, taking a slight step back and hearing a light squeak in her voice.

"Meep! Be careful where you step!" The voice came again. Pip turned around and finally looked down and saw the Police Girl, or at least the top half of her. The rest seemed to be… stuck in the floor?

"Eh, vat are you doing zere Miss Victoria?" The confused mercenary asked the VERY petite blond.

"Well," she said in an embarrassed tone as she scratched her head, "I tried going through the sublevels up to here, and it didn't really work out as I planned."

"I can zee zat," Pip said, taking in the sight before something occurred to him. "Wait… why were you coming up 'ere?"

Seras immediately blushed. "O-Oh. Well, uh, I was hoping to ask you something."

Pip crouched down to the Police Girl's level to speak to her. "And what would that be Mignonette?"

Seras felt really nervous by this point. _"Oh, this was a stupid idea. What if he doesn't like those kind of parties and says no? Or what if he already has plans?"_ She thought nervously.

"Umm, Miss Victoria? You wanted to say something…" The one eyed man looked at her confused., anticipating an answer.

"Oh ya, sorry about that," Seras responded, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, Sir Integra was invited to this Christmas party and she said Master and I could go. A-And I wanted to know if maybe you wanted to go…with me?"

The Frenchman paused, looking almost surprised from the question. "Really? You want to invite me to one of those kind of things?"

"Well I mean if you already have plans it's oka-"

"Non, non, ce n'est pas quelque chose comme ca," Pip started, immediately smacking himself in the face because he knew Seras couldn't speak French. Looking at the confused girl, he said again, "It's nothing like that. What I meant was, I was just slightly surprised, no one's ever invited me to a fancy party before. I'd be happy to go with you, Mignonette."

Seras smiled gleefully at this. "Oh that's great! I'll go and tell Sir Integra you're coming," she said as she struggled trying to faze.

Pip's eyes went wide as he tried holding back a smile. "Mignonette? Do you know what room is under our quarters?"

Seras paused as she looked up, nervous about what she was about to say. "Um no? What?"

Pip told her flatly, "The mercenaries' locker room."

And in a few weeks, Integra would have to put in orders for repairs. A large hole between the change rooms and barracks had been made by an unknown cause.

~+*A week later*+~

"Oh I hope Pip likes this," the Draculina said to herself, as she adjusted her red and white earrings. For the party, Seras was adorning a red silk dress, accommodated with white fur trim on the end and straps. She applied some dark red lipstick and a touch of black mascara on to her face. Checking the time as she looked for her shoes, she gasped out, "Oh! I should move along now or we'll be late."

As the blond picked up the pace, the captain was also freshening up for the special night. He wore a white blazer and black button up shirt, as well as white cargos and dress shoes and a new black eyepatch. He'd have to owe A LOT to one of his men that lent him the shoes and didn't say anything to the other troops.

"Not looking too bad there, Bernadotte," Alucard said, appearing behind the Frenchman. The vampire was now clad in a red smoking jacket, matching dress pants, black dress shoes and a black dress shirt, complete with cummerbund and frilled sleeves. His hair was neat and slicked, with his bangs falling over and concealing his right eye.

"Why thank you Mr. Alucard," Pip responded, taking in the vampire's appearance. "I must zay you're looking pretty sharp as well; but I suppose you 'have to be if you're the boss' escort tonight."

Alucard smirked at this comment. "I would think you'd want to look nice for this kind of formal occasion, and for what will be in store for us all."

"Oh, Monsieur. Alucard?" Pip started, getting the attention of the aristocratic Count.

"Hm?" Alucard hummed, waiting for Pip to relay something he clearly considered important to him.

"Mind if I ask you a favor?" he mercenary said in a very hushed way, hinting to Alucard that they be secretive.

Alucard seemed interested in the Frenchman's words. "That depends on what you had in mind."

"Well you zee, there will be alcohol at ze party, non? I said I'd see about snagging my men and I a bit of fine liquor as a sort of Christmas gift to the group, as it were, and was wondering if somehow you could… help us out."

Alucard smirked. "Well… I suppose I could lend you a hand in sneaking something back."

"Eh, thanks," Pip nodded, giving the vampire a thumbs-up.

With that the vampire disappeared as fast as he had appeared. "Oh yes," He chimed, poking his head out from the wall. "If you and the Police Girl are going to try anything, don't make too much noise." With that the chuckling Nosferatu went to check on the lady waiting in her office.

*+~Meanwhile~+*

"Damn it Walter, how do people where things like this so often?" Integra growled as Walter called to her from the other end of the door.

"I'll see what I can do Sir Integra," the retainer told her. But as Walter started walking toward the bedroom door, he heard a dark voice say something.

"Oh no need Walter," Alucard's voice said as he materialized into the room. "I believe I can give My Master the assistance she needs in this case."

"How nice of you to join us Alucard," Walter told the man. "Are the other two ready?"

"Yes, when we finish here we can head out. I believe you had it too loose was what the problem was Master," the elder vampire said, tightening the lace on the back of Integra's black dress.

"Well when I haven't adorned a dress for so many years, I get a little rusty on the procedure." Turning to face her servant, the Protestant knight immediately added, "They're far more uncomfortable than I remember."

"Understandable," Alucard mused, turning around to face his Master. Her long platinum blond hair had been let down and slightly curled, adding to the elegance that already adorned it. She wore a simple black dress that went a bit below her kneecaps and simple black heeled shoes, with a not so high heel.

"You look…simply extravagant tonight, Integra," Alucard told her with a stunned voice, drinking in her appearance.

Integra flashed Alucard a smile. "You're also looking very presentable, I see. I must say you clean up rather nicely for a creature of the night." Standing up, the woman made her way over to her red-clad servant, her own face matching with his flawlessly as their eyes locked.

Reaching and opening the door, Alucard then immediately extended his hand to let Integra follow. "Shall we?" he asked, awaiting the answer he knew his master would give him.

Integra, smiling from the act, reached forward and took the Nosferatu's hand in hers, letting him bring her forward. "Yes, we shall."

**To be continued…**

**Genma:** Credit to my partner and girlfriend Hellsingfan101 for the first draft of this chapter. Hope you enjoyed the read.

**Jan:** It's fucking mushy bullshit man!

**Genma:** *Produces Jackal, empties magazine into Jan's head.* Everyone's a critic. Chapter 2 tomorrow.


	2. Guests and Grief

**Genma: **Christmas Eve Day, and I wish all my readers the best.

**Incognito: **You know what's best about the holidays? All the delicious food…

**Genma: **Right…

_*Incognito gives Genma evil, hungry look*_

**Genma: **Still don't own Hellsing. Now on with the show…

**Order II – Guests and Grief**

Seras and Pip stood out in the main foyer of the manor with a shared look of impatience between their faces. It had been easily ten minutes since Alucard went off to find the lady of the house, and the party was to start in about an hour. Considering their distance from Buckingham Palace, and the traffic that existed at this hour, they started to build up doubt as to whether they would arrive in time.

Within a second, however, that entire notion was shattered by the surprising sound of a door opening, and shoes clacking on the marble floors. Turning their attention behind them, both Hellsing employees gazed upwards and their frustration melted into awe; for Alucard and Integra walked hand-in-hand, dressed in their finest attire, down the marble stairs in a picturesque manner not unlike a prince and princess in a fairytale.

As the couple approached the bottom of the staircase, Alucard stopped and let Integra step down first, not releasing her hand even as he did so. Smiling as he followed, he reached into his pocket and produced a red, fur-lined Christmas hat, and placed it in Seras' head gingerly. The response of the Police Girl; was to reach upwards, pawing at the ball on the end with her bare hands and making purring noises. "Congratulations, frog," Alucard joked, noting the situation and watching Integra hold back her laughter, "your date tonight is a cat."

Watching Pip's confused glare and Seras' annoyed look, Alucard simply turned and strode towards the front doorway, his master still holding his hand as he went. As he reached the end he opened up the doorway to the manor, and looked outside to see a group of Christmas carollers standing there, waiting for him.

"I don't mean to be rude," Alucard told them, but we're in a bit of a hurry and don't have time for your singing, delightful as it may or may not be." Not wanting this to last any longer, he simply reached into his sleeve and produced a stack of pounds and handed it to the leader of the carollers, who took the money with a confused expression. Immediately following that, the group turned and started walking away.

"Where did you get all of that money?" Integra questioned, looking at her servant squarely in the eyes. Smiling and closing his eyes, he then turned to her and explained,

"I owned the deed to Carfax Abbey, remember? When your father ran the administration I sold the property for a small fortune of my own; and for the most part, that fortune's remained untouched for thirty years." Turning aside, he faced out to the end of the driveway and snapped his fingers, the seals on his glove lighting up as he did so.

With the carollers now gone from the walkway of the manor, a swirling black cloud of flames appeared before then, twisting and writhing as it did so. Eventually, these brought themselves together in the form of two black, red-eyed horses pulling a wooden carriage. Stunned at the gesture, he snapped his fingers again and watched the door of the carriage swing open, at which point the four of them started towards the vehicle.

"You know, I could have gotten the door myself," Integra told Alucard. When they reached the carriage, he further moved to hoist her up into the wooden vehicle, immediately afterwards allowing Pip and Seras aboard before him.

"I come from a time when chivalry was not dead," Alucard then answered while he stepped aboard, taking his seat beside Integra so Seras and Pip could sit facing them, beside each other. Once he had stepped inside the door of the carriage closed on its own and the horses made a loud neighing sound. From inside, the four could feel the horses take off down the driveway, moving at full galloping speed.

"It can be said what they will," Integra then said, taking in her surroundings as Seras and Pip did the same. "The vampire Alucard may have done many things; and may have given people fear for their lives and mortal souls. Despite all of that, it cannot be said that he can\t show a girl a good time." At this statement, Alucard merely smiled smugly.

In a half-hours time, the horse-drawn carriage from the Hellsing manor (which bore the family crest on its side, enamelled in red) pulled up at the gates of Buckingham Palace in the area where Valet Parking was normally to be done. Understandably, the Queen's royal valets were more than a little confused at the sight, as it was rare for a foreign monarch to drive such a traditional vehicle, let alone a domestic aristocrat; but despite their bewilderment, they held their tongues.

Once the horses had stopped, they looked around and let out a few guttural noises while the door to the carriage swung open, out which red mist poured much like dry ice fog at a Cirque du Soleil show. From this the well-dressed Alucard stepped out and jumped to the ground suavely, turning and offering his hand to Integra so she could step down as well. A moment later, Seras also stepped to the front and he likewise helped her down, before moving aside and allowing Pip to step down on his own (he doubted the macho French mercenary wanted to be helped down by somebody to foppishly dressed).

"Good evening gentlemen," the vampire then spoke, looking the men in the eyes with his sexy, seductive gaze. "I trust that my horses will be well-tended to while we are here, and that they will be shown the same respect as any other vehicle." With a slow and deliberate nod, the first of the two valets stepped up onto the driver's platform of the carriage, picking up the slack reigns and causing the horses to trot the vehicle to the parking area.

"Shall we proceed?" Integra questioned, turning back to the other couple as she did so. The Draculina and her escort simply looked back with cheery smiles on their faces, and so the group of four started up the slow driveway to the palace halls, where the party was to take place. Along the way, both Pip and Seras looked in all directions to admire the sheer majesty and elegance of the palace; while Integra and Alucard, who had both been to this palace before, seemed contented to simply walk holding each other's hands and gazing into each other's eyes.

When they reached the door to the building, they discovered a gold-enamelled guest book awaiting all who entered, sitting on a table just inside the doors. Grabbing the pen, Integra signed her own name before putting down the pen; and Alucard simply waved his hand at it, causing the object to self-animate and scribe his signature under hers into the book. Allowing the object to fall limp, he and Integra stepped inside while entertaining the confused looks of their company, of which Seras' and Pip's were the least.

Inside the hall, it seemed that everybody who was of any importance in England was present; the Round Table members, the British royal family, and even some members of the British parliament; though unsurprisingly, the Prime Minister was nowhere to be seen. Even the Irish, Scottish and Welsh ambassadors were present, lending a slightly more exotic air to the palace than exclusively English partygoers ever could.

"You'll have to forgive me, Integra," Alucard told his master, looking at her and whispering into her ear, "but I last saw the Round Table members during your father's administration, and several of the members have changed. I do not recognize many of these men."

"Oh… I see," Integra responded in slight surprise, having never stopped to think whether or not Alucard actually knew any of the Round Table members well enough to socialize with them without offending somebody. "Well, uh, let's see…" Scanning the crowd, she eventually caught sight of a shorter and stockier man, with black hair and moustache and a wrinkled face. "Ah, there's one. Do you remember Sir Penwood?"

"No, I'm afraid he was after my time," Alucard answered. "The only members I think is left from when Arthur was in change was… Islands, I believe his name is…? And as I recall, he had a very large problem with my being used my Hellsing."

"Well, Sir Penwood has never shown any outward hatred for you; in fact, I don't think he's really shown any sort of disrespect to my staff at all. Perhaps you could speak to him." Thinking about the idea, Alucard thus started slowly and calmly off towards the tuxedo-clad Sir Penwood, Integra following slowly behind; and as Alucard drew closer, a young brown-haired woman he was talking to turned and looked at Alucard, which drew in the Knight's attention as well.

"Yes, Integra," Sir Penwood asked of the Hellsing heiress, not recognizing her guest. "Is there something you wish to say to me? Perhaps we could start with introductions."

"Very well," Integra responded, motioning to her servant. "Sir Penwood, this is Alucard." The look of utter shock mixed with a twinge of fear that spread over Penwood's face as Alucard extended a hand to greet him was one worth well over a mere thousand words; and as he weakly and timidly met the vampire's grasp, he lightly shook his hand before drawing back away.

"Aren't you going to introduce me, darling?" the woman with Sir Penwood then asked, sounding slightly put off as not having been introduced. The woman had a soft, sing-song voice with an Irish drawl and a melodic tone; something that Alucard instantly found interesting. Clad in a long fuchsia satin dress and matching gloves, she looked absolutely stunning. _"She must be interested in his money,"_ Alucard mused, doing his best to stifle a smirk.

"Huh… oh yes," Penwood responded, regaining his composure long enough to indicate the woman standing beside him. "Sir Hellsing, Alucard, this is my escort for the evening, Lucy." Extending out a hand, the woman was completely surprised and somewhat charmed as Alucard grabbed her hand, bringing it closer to him and delivering a light kiss to its upper face.

"Lucy, you say?" Alucard inquired while Integra likewise shook the woman's hand, taking in the girl's unique appearance and voice. "You remind me of another Lucy I knew, a very long time ago; so young, full of life and keen-spirited, and one who needed to be at any party that took place." While Lucy herself seemed flattered at the remark, Penwood's face gained a look of jealousy and Integra's one of surprised worry.

"Right. Well then," Penwood started, wrapping his hand around Lucy's arm and starting off, "I think it's best I introduce you to the other guests before we get too attached to one conversation. I'll see you later, Integra." With that and a slightly protesting look from Lucy, the two of them started off as Integra looked straight at Alucard, an icy look on her face.

"I cannot believe you just brought up Lucy Westenra in the middle of a Christmas party," Integra said incredulously, whispering through gritted teeth. "That woman was only charmed by the mention because she clearly has no idea who you are; if she knew who the other Lucy was, that would have absolutely terrified her. And I know it's been a long time since you went to a proper social event, and not one of father's whore-riddled black light parties; but men, especially British political aristocrats, do not appreciate other men hitting on their dates!"

"_Who_ was flirting, exactly?" Alucard responded, seeming both confused and slightly offended at the mention of that. "All I was doing was trying to be complimentary and charming, exactly is expected of somebody at one of these events. If you want flirting, how's her giving me that doe-eyed look in front of her…"

"Eh, 'oo do you tink you are talking to, mon frère?" Pip's yelling French voice echoed through the hall, cutting off Alucard mid-sentence and drawing in the attention of both Alucard and Integra. In the middle of a huge group of people, Pip and one of the Round Table members, another of those Alucard did not recognize, were locked in a shouting match with each other's hands grabbing their collars; and Seras stood off to the side, completely bewildered.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Integra questioned, stepping into the middle of the circle of people. Instantly the mercenary and the aristocrat released each other and fell backwards to the floor onto their arses, looking at Integra with the apologetic look of a child who's been caught with their hand in a cookie jar.

"It wasn't Pip's fault, Sir Integra!" Seras insisted, speaking directly to the female knight and getting her attention. "That British oaf of a knight tried to hit on me right in the middle of the room, and he was simply defending my honour!"

"Is this true, Sir Seward?" Integra asked of the man, who proceeded to huffily stand up and dust off his pants, giving Integra a death glare.

"I resent any accusation of the sort," he said brazenly, looking Integra in the eye as he did so. "All I wished to do was introduce myself to the darling lady; and that loud arrogant French warthog wouldn't have any of it. He got into it with me right there; no attempts at resolving the situation or anything."

"Is it really too much of you to ask to bring some civil and proper guests, Integra?" an older, much sterner voice issued, drawing closer and getting Integra to look at another section of the crowd. The grey-haired, tall and thin form of Sir Islands the stepped out to the crowd, right up to Integra and looked her in the eye, an angry and disappointed glare on his face. "Or at least, that the swine you choose to keep as your company be quiet and sedate enough to _not_ threaten my people over something so jovial?"

"Such harsh and impolite words from a high society aristocrat, don't you think?" Alucard suddenly asked, stepping out from the crowd ands up beside Integra. Taller than Sir Islands, he looked down on the confrontational knight and he in turn looked up at Alucard, his glare even angrier. "If you wish to speak so distastefully of the company my master keeps, then by all means tell it to _my_ face; for we both know you hate me more than all of Hellsing combined."

"I see Integra still hasn't had the common sense you strap you to a cross and finish you off," Sir Islands spat, his hostility towards Alucard seeping from his very pores. Turning to Integra, he then said bluntly, "At least your father had the brains to keep him locked up in the manor; you let that night walker roam freely, and now you bring it into a room filled with dignitaries and let him cause a scene?"

"Right now the only one causing a scene is you, Sir Islands," Integra retaliated, taking offence to the commence about both her hand her servant apparent. "Making such slanderous comments about my people over an incident which is partly the blame of another Round Table member is not only distasteful but harassing, and I do not appreciate your immodesty."

"And that's where I come in," Alucard piped up, pushing past his master and looking Islands square in the eyes. "You see, I don't take such damming comments to my master, or my fledgling, or even her company, very lightly; you should still remember that from 35 years ago, when running your mouth similarly to this got you a taste of my power. Keep pushing my buttons, or Integra's, or any of us for that matter, and I _will_ do something we both regret; so I think we can agree it's best we simply stay away from each other."

"For once I agree with you, Nosferatu," Sir Islands finally said in a growling voice after a good few seconds of thought. Extending an uneasy hand, he got Alucard to make a gentleman's handshake and then walked off, Sir Seward following suit so as not on incur the vampire's wrath.

"I'm starting to get a feel for why you don't enjoy these parties," Alucard muttered to Integra over his shoulder, who simply flashed him a facial expression that screamed 'I told you so'. His attention then turned to the French mercenary and his fledgling, the former of whom looked back embarrassed while the latter looked at him with a shameful face. Stepping forward to them Alucard immediately stated, "It seems you have some trouble being polite and sociable without causing a stir."

"Please, monsieur Alucard," Pip asked desperately, cupping his hands together as Alucard's told eyes stared at him with murderous intent. "Please don't 'old this against the mignonette and I. We were just trying to 'ave a good time is all; we never intended to get into a fight with Sir Seward…"

"I don't care what your intent was," the vampire growled under his breath, the sound of which made Seras jump backwards and hold a terrified look on his face. "We are guests of Her majesty the Queen; and while I know that there's no Monarch in France anymore, and so you're not taught any respect for royalty, your conduct is a poor reflection on Sir Integra and, by extension, the Hellsing Organization. If I catch you two disrupting things again, I'll have to deal with you personally."

"That's quite enough, Alucard," Integra told her servant, causing the vampire to cringe in disappointment as he turned back to face his master. "Causing a scene isn't exactly a good reflection on our Organization, but neither is you causing further panic by openly threatening your fellow subordinates."

After looking at Seras and Pip for what seemed like an entire minute, his eyes locked on theirs in a disappointed and annoyed fashion, the Nosferatu finally let out a sigh and turned back to Integra, saying in a defeated tone, "Very well. I'll leave the two of them alone to do as they will, provided they stay out of trouble."

"I promise you'll get no more trouble out of us Master," Seras diligently answered for both her and Pip, knowing a delay in response could only make things worse. Seemingly satisfied with this answer, Integra let out a slightly-pleased hum and started off in another direction, Alucard following suit and keeping a mere metre behind her.

"Whoa, zat was close," Pip noted, looking around as the group of people surrounding them started to disperse, walking off in all directions. Turning to face Seras, the girl immediately turned away from him, her arms crossed and her expression one of annoyance. "What? What did I do?" the mercenary then asked, shrugging his shoulders to show utter bewilderment.

"You men and your stubborn pride," Seras responded, stepping aside and making her way up to a refreshment table right beside where they were. "You're no different from my master, and neither is that awful Sir Seward; brutish, ignorant, and completely unable to see when you're wrong. Master Integra and I simply wanted to have a good time tonight, and you helped drag us all down by getting into a ridiculous fight like that."

"But, I…" Pip started as Seras grabbed a cup of eggnog out of a large punch bowl, taking a large sip of it while Pip tried to speak. Seras' response to taking the drink was to make the same face a child makes when biting into a lemon; as though they've swallowed an entire mouthful of bitterness. Suddenly growing amused again, Pip said to her, "What? You don't like the eggnog with rum in it?"

"There's rum in this?" the blond questioned obliviously, the light-headedness of the drink catching up to her a few seconds later. Looking at the half-empty glass in her hand, she chugged the entire thing before cringing again; but less so this time, and she actually enjoyed the taste much more. "I've never had it like this."

"Vraiment? It's a staple at 'oliday parties; or at least, the ones I've been to," Pip noted, grabbing his own glass of the drink and taking a rather large swig as he did so. "Hm… the rum is a bit off, yeah. Cheap stuff for a bunch of rich old yuppies, but I suppose it will do for a Christmas punch." Seras, however, caught none of the words that came from the Frenchman's mouth; for she was too busy grabbing a second glass of the dink, downing it a second later. "Whoa… you shouldn't drink it that quickly, Mignonette? 'Ave you ever 'ad spiked drinks before?"

"I did graduate from High School you know," Seras responded to Pip sassily, not noticing how vague her answer was to his question when she said it. When he continued to look at her strangely, she responded, "You know, the old spiked punch at the prom gag that every 18-year-old boy tries at least once in his life? I can't believe you didn't guess that."

"Well, I mean," Pip responded, actually taken aback by the comment from straight-laced Seras, "sure, I figured somebody 'ad punched the spike – I mean, spiked the punch – at some point; but I didn't figure you for somebody who'd drink it." When Seras gave a sarcastically obvious nod, the man gleefully smiled like s child on Christmas day and said, "I knew there was a reason I liked you; and not just your rack."

"What was that?" Seras questioned, breaking from downing her third glass of the punch to stare at Pip hatefully for the comment. The mercenary then simply shied back away and waved his hands innocently to show he hadn't meant what he said; and so Seras drank the rest of her glass, then reached for more.

About two hours into the evening, Sir Integra found herself sitting in one of the chairs against the walls of the ballroom, watching everybody who was dancing with an envious expression while she sat with her head in her hand, with her elbow in her lap. She remembered her senior prom, when she had been the wall flower that no boy in the room would dance with; and that wasn't even that long ago.

"_Do you really intend to just sit here and be miserable while everybody else has a good time"_ Alucard questioned to the depths of Integra's mind, appearing beside her suddenly with his arms crossed and an amused sneer on his face. After about an hour and half of socializing, Alucard had gone off for a few minutes to do something – whatever it was he hadn't told Integra what – and now he was back, watching his master sit aside.

"_Perhaps I'd have been less miserable if you had stayed with me this whole time, instead of ditching me earlier," _ she responded, picking up a champagne glass and taking a large gulp of what had been a full glass. _"This is why I don't like going to public events; I simply never know anybody outside of who I bring, and they usually abandon me."_

"_I'm sorry, but I had a personal errand I had to attend to,"_ the vampire apologized, looking at his master sympathetically. _"I'm almost surprised you didn't take the chance to get something to eat, or go out on the balcony with one of your cigars, or even find somebody to drink with. Or am I simply too used to how things used to be with your father?"_

"_I wasn't hungry enough to try and eat anything,"_ Integra explained, her own disappointment reflecting even in her thoughts. _"Besides, there's no pockets on this dress or any handbags in my collection to go with it, and I didn't feel like using my… you know,"_ she paused, indicating her chest, _"…as storage, especially for such an upscale party. As for the drinks, I was tempted; but I do not wish to get drunk in such a public venue, and I don't want to have to use the loo at any point either."_

"_Bad personal experience?"_ Alucard questioned, getting a somewhat embarrassed-looking nod as a reply. _"Then I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long."_ Stepping in front of Integra, Alucard then knelt down and extended his hand, saying slowly and in a calm and romantic voice, "May I offer you this dance?"

Surprised at the request, Integra stood up and took the tall vampire's hand, causing him to rise up and put his other hand on her hip. She then placed her free hand on his shoulder and the slowly moved away from the wall, the rhythm of their dancing slowly taking then to the centre of the room where everybody else was dancing.

"_I must say, you're quite a good dancer for a creature of the night…"_ Integra mused, her half-intrigued half-entertained face looking at a now-smiling Alucard. Responding to the comment, the vampire released his grip on her hip and twirled her to the outstretched length of their arms combined, before pulling her back in and re-establishing his grip.

"_I'm not so old as to predate dancing, My Master,"_ Alucard responded, sounding jokingly offended at the assumption. _"After all, I was more than a crusader and an Impaler, you know; I was a Voivode, and as such I was involved in higher social function. Dancing was not un common at ceremonies, even back in the Middle Ages."_

"_I'm trying to imagine you dancing with some young woman in a period dress inside a huge old castle,"_ Integra told him after hearing him say this, while the motion of their dancing continued and they slowly continued onwards. Eventually Alucard's rhythm led them past the dancing people and towards a balcony, which overlooked the snow-filled gardens and was lit up by the beautiful evening moon.

Releasing Integra, Alucard stepped to the edge of the railing and looked up at the room, entranced as Integra stepped up beside him and grabbed his hand. Turning back to her, Alucard then outstretched his arm and in a flash of black smoke, a long, shining object appeared dangling on the end of his hand. "For you," he said, bringing his arm closer to her so she could see what he had brought.

Integra's face upon seeing the object was pure shock. Hanging by Alucard's fingers on the end of his hand, a platinum crucifix dangled, blowing in the slight breeze on a platinum chain studded with huge 2-karat diamonds. Smiling, Alucard then moved his hand over her head and twisted his hand so the crucifix fell off, landing around her neck and reflecting in the evening moonlight. "Alucard… it's beautiful…" Integra told her servant, her voice shortened by her breath having been taken away.

"Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing…" Alucard said aloud, again getting down on one knee as he spoke. "From the very moment you awakened me in that basement, 10 years ago, I knew that you were different from the other masters. The first treated me as nothing more than a science project; and to your father, I was little more than a weapon of war, or an entertaining party favour. But to you… to you I'm more than that; you treat me like a human, like a person. And that's why I love you…"

Integra was completely stunned by this confession from her vampiric servant; so much so that her face remained frozen into the expression long after he stood up from his knee, and looked her in the eye looking for some return of the emotion. "Alucard, I…" was all she could manage to get out of her mouth before something in the back of her head took over; and she then pulled her servant in closely, locking his lips to her own and sharing with him a warm, passionate kiss that lasted for close to a minute.

By the time she finally released her grip from his, Integra was absolutely stunned and befuddled by what had just happened. For the first time on ten years, her servant had told her how he truly felt about her; and her response had been to snog him, right in the middle of a huge party with royalty and parliamentary dignitaries at it. Needless to say, she was more than a little bit torn by the ordeal. She had never known true love, and so couldn't tell if this was what she felt; or, for that matter, whether her servant was simply having her on again.

"_Would I really lie to you about something this important to both of us…?"_ the vampire telepathically questioned, putting his hand around her waist and drawing her in closer. Once again, their lips locked in an impassioned and primal manner, their joined embrace allowing both to feel the other's heartbeat, their pulse.

For an entire two minutes, the two lovers remained trapped in their embrace, losing track of the entire world except for themselves. Alucard could feel the warm, smooth flow of Integra's blood through her veins; and Integra could feel the pulsating, rhythmic motions of the shadow tendrils that made up the vampire's form. As his heat melded more and more with hers, she could almost feel herself being taken into his form, becoming one with him…

Yet, despite the overwhelming desires of the two lovebirds, the embrace could not last. The sounds of glass breaking and people screaming broke the two from their entranced state, drawing their attention back to the party inside. At least one of the lights had gone out, and many people were hiding in corners or scurrying to the doors.

"Forgive me, but I need to deal with this," Alucard told Integra, wiping the saliva from his lip as he stepped inside, the blond woman following closely behind him. In the centre of the room, a man stood waving a gun around in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other. The sloppy motion with which he did this, coupled with the ruffled appearance of the man's grey tuxedo and his incoherent rambling, led Alucard immediately to assume that the man was intoxicated; and as such, was a huge threat to all those present.

"Put down the gun right now!" the vampire instructed, walking slowly and purposefully towards the man. Instead of doing as he asked, however, the man turned his gun on Alucard, shakily fingering the trigger. "Please, put down the gun and nobody has to get hurt…" Focussing on the man, Alucard attempted to use his hypnotic power to disarm the man; but that simply made things worse.

With a feral-sounding scream of pain, the man, instead of becoming possessed as Alucard had planned, opened fire on the red-clad being, emptying all 12 rounds of the gun into Alucard's flesh in a peppering of rounds. His body became riddled with injuries and exploded into clouds of blood, eventually tearing at the joints and falling into a heap at the floor.

"Alucard!" Integra screamed in fear, running up to the dismembered corpse of her loving servant. The look of total bewilderment on the vampire's frozen face spoke volumes; but before Integra could react, the man came up behind her and hit her on the head with the champagne bottle, knocking her head to the floor and shattering both her glasses and the bottle.

As she lay bleeding, and before her consciousness faded out, she managed to moan out, "A…lu…card…"

**Genma:** Hope you enjoyed the second chapter of my work.

**Luke:** Actually, I found it rather tasteful…

_*Looks down at Jan*_

**Luke:** Unlike my brother…

**Genma:** Yeah, sorry 'bout that…

**Luke:** Don't worry. It's a better Christmas present than he ever got me.

**Genma:** You know what'd be a good Christmas Gift? A dog…

_*Luke glares at Genma*_

**Genma: **Or… not. Finale tomorrow…


	3. What Dreams May Come

**Genma: **Ah Christmas, the day children wait for more than anything else in the year.

**Major: **Vat about the beginning of Var?

**Doc: **Or the day your experiment finally vorks?

**Captain:** *Incoherent mumbling*

**Genma:** What weird, demented children do you have?

_*Schrödinger appears, rubbing against major's leg.*_

**Genma: **Okay, freaky Quantum cat-boy hybrids don't count.

*Schrödinger begins to cry*

**Major:** Now look vat you'fe done. You'fe hurt his feelings.

**Genma:** Oh, no, no, no. I'm sorry.

_*Genma scratches Schrödinger's ears, Schrödinger stars purring.*_

**Genma: **That's better. Still don't own Hellsing.

_*Doc pulls out remote*_

**Doc:** Unt now, the finale…

**Order III – What Dreams May Come**

When Integra came to, the form of the intruder was leaning over her, his hands on either side of her shoulders and his shins on either side of her waist. The drunken face of the man looked into her eyes with a disturbing expression of wanton lust, his teeth bared and saliva running down his chin. Integra could smell the alcohol on the man's breath, and the man's bloodshot eyes seemed utterly fixed on her.

"Well, well, well aren't you pretty…" the man stumbled to say, his words slurred and muddled by his sheer intoxication. Picking up one of his hands, he managed to brush along the side of Integra's hair, coming closer to her skin with every stroke. With her vision blurred and her heart racing, she already feared the worst.

But her prayers were answered in the form of a low, dark laugh that emanated from around the room, seemingly coming from all the shadows. Catching the drunken man off guard, it gave Integra just enough time to kick at the man with her heel, throwing him off her and over onto the floor.

Looking up as she stood, Integra understood what had caught the man's attention. All the shadows of the unlit room seemed alive, pulsating and writhing; and looking closely, she could see that they were made of centipedes, with some red eyes every few feet staring out at the people in the room. Alucard's insane laughter continued even after she was up, and it seemed to entrancing to her that she almost didn't notice what was happening.

The drunken man, somehow limber enough, had pushed himself to his feet and pulled out a jack knife, charging at Integra with the intent to stab her. Though she jumped off to one side to dodge him, she tripped on her long dress and fell onto her back, leaving herself trapped before the man. "A-and n-now… you die," the man said in a strange, sickening glee, so out of his mind that he likely didn't know what he was saying.

Then, the laughter increased in volume again, distracting the man and bringing his attention to the corpse of Alucard. He watched in horror as the body simply broke down into a shadowy, writhing mass which encircled him like black flames, locking him in place. A second later, the vampire reformed from his shadowy mass into his immaculately dressed form, picking the man up by the collar and hoisting his head far above his own.

"It's been awhile since a human managed to pump that much lead into me, and with total metal jackets no less," Alucard mused, reaching into the fold of his coat. "I must say, I admire your determination and valour." A second later, though, Alucard's normal insanely happy expression grew darker, angrier, and he growled out, "But for attacking the woman I love, I show you no mercy."

Pulling out his arm, the vampire drew out his massive, black, iron-coated gun, the Jackal, and pointed the end of the rectangular barrel straight at the man's face. "Now see, _this_ is a gun. It's got 12 bullets in the magazine as well; but even _one_ of these would turn your face into a well-done pasta sauce. So tell me, why should I let you live…?"

His words failing him, the man began to tremble in fear and started screaming incoherently, which only further aggravated his undead aggressor. "What… what the hell are you…?" he finally managed to ask Alucard, whose only response was to give the man a terrifying glare. "T-tell me! What in the hell… what the hell are you…?"

Chuckling darkly, Alucard opened his mouth wide, baring his fangs as he asked, "You don't know who I am?" All the man could do in reply was shake weakly, and so Alucard told him, "Then I will show you who I am…" Once again, the vampire's eyes flashed over into a red glow; and this time, the man's eyes glazed over as well, and his screams became even louder as visions of dead bodies, rivers of blood, impaled corpses, and a demonic-looking being with a mane of black hair and clad in plate armour appeared in his mind.

Dropping the drunkard to the floor, Alucard left the man to collapse into a heap and then curl up into the fetal position, the terrifying images still entering into his mind and slowly driving all sanity from him. Placing his massive gun back into his coat, he reached over and helped Integra to her feet as she asked, "You brought your weapon with you?"

"Party crashers are nothing new to this century, Integra," Alucard answered, his gun disappearing into the black mass underneath his smoking jacket. "In my era, an invasion at a banquet was usually an attempt on someone's life, and it paid to be prepared. Since I don't have my kilaj anymore, I decided my Jackal would suffice."

Nodding at his explanation, Integra then turned her attention to approaching footsteps from dress shoes. Both figures then turned to see Sir Islands walking towards them, his usual stern expression still plastered on his face. "You're a sucker for the theatrics even after all these years, Nosferatu," he commended, applauding the vampire mockingly. "I'm almost impressed by your little Romeo and Juliet act."

"The man had a gun, Islands," Alucard responded, spitting out one of the expended rounds and showing it from the palm of his hand. "Total metal jackets, the kind of bullet that leave flesh torn and arteries shredded. Now, I had two choices; I could let him shoot me up, and simply regenerate; or I could allow him to turn his gun on you and your party guests." Sneering mockingly, the vampire then added, "Remember, I can put my face back on. You can't, so party safe."

Watching Islands become irate and grumble at Alucard, Integra then added, "Alucard likely saved the lives of people at this party, Sir Islands. If he had not been here, then people would have been shot, and would likely have died. I believe you owe my servant here an apology." Crossing her arms, she watched Islands fume at her words for a second, before the realization that she was right set in and he begrudgingly extended his arm.

"It is true, Count Alucard," Islands then told the vampire, who looked back with a rather neutral expression. "I've been overly rude and hostile over an old argument that has nothing to do with this evening or your new master. Forgive me for my ignorance." Considering the words he was hearing for a second, Alucard eventually extended his own arm and grabbed Islands' hand, shaking it slowly.

"I accept your apology, and offer one of my own," Alucard stated, surprising even Sir Integra. "My own remarks to you have been out of line, and beyond the scope of what my master allows. You and I had our differences thirty years ago, but that's in the past. I do not wish to dredge up old wounds, so I'll just leave it at that."

"Very well," Islands told Alucard, releasing his grip and letting their arms fall slack. "Now that that's done with, there's just the issue of dealing with the intruder." Turning to face the man, Islands was shocked to discover that the quivering wreck he had just seen was now not moving or making any noise; he simply lay there. "What did you do?"

"Me? Nothing," Alucard responded. "He's passed out from the amount of alcohol he's consumed. By the time he wakes up, he'll have a massive hangover and will remember none of what transpired here. Even if he did, he stinks so badly of rum that no police officer would ever believe his story. My guess is that he should be taken to a hospital for observation."

"I'll look into that," Islands told Alucard, before stepping off towards the other party guests. Turning back to face Integra, though, Alucard discovered her to be gone as well; and with a quick glance around the room, he saw her to be back outside on the balcony, holding into the railing. Walking forwards, he exited the room and stepped up beside his master, looking at her with eyes of concern and sympathy, something most never saw of the Bloody Count.

"It's been a tough and trying night for you, my master," Alucard said, not waiting for Integra to explain herself. "You were apprehensive about simply being here; but between the emotions that have spiralled viciously here tonight, it must be very confusing and…" Alucard's words were cut off when Integra reached around and grabbed his face, bringing his lips to her own and leaning back against the railing.

After releasing Alucard from her grip, Integra looked up at him with an expression that she rarely showed; happiness. The vampire count himself recognized something different about this kiss as well; it was hungrier, more lustful. Turning around, the Hellsing Knight continued to stare up at the moon, while her servant leaned up against her and put his arm around her.

"It's been a very strange year for me indeed," Integra told her servant, her answer coming as no surprise to him. "Between the attacks on our organization, the inclusion of Seras and the Wild Geese into our group, and everything else that's happened… I don't know how to put it, but everything feels more…"

"…Like we've become a family," Alucard interpreted, ending her sentence for her. "I know how you feel about the Police Girl, about the mercenary… because that is who you are, Integra Hellsing. Behind the old, iron-willed façade, you truly care about the people in your life. That is why I am still with you after all these years. And that is why I love you…"

Integra could feel the emotion in Alucard's words, the sheer innate feelings that she normally did not hear from the man. She knew little of his past, but she knew that at some point he did have a wife, and that she had been taken from him. He had lost much more than she could ever imagine; but with her, it seemed, he had regained some of that loss.

Jarred from this though, her eyes were drawn to a strange, red pile of what appeared to be clothing over in the corner of the balcony. "Alucard… what are those?" she asked, pointing in the direction of the articles. He himself curious due to her, the vampire stepped over to the clothes in question, picking them up one by one and examining them.

"It appears to be… the Police Girl's hat," he noted aloud, picking up the hat and slinging it over his arm as he picked up the next article. "Oh… and her shirt…" While Integra was looking at the vampire, her face of surprise slowly grew, until Alucard's matched it with the words, "Oh… and something else I think she'd rather I not saw…" Holding up the garment in question to Integra, the woman simply looked back stunned, while Alucard placed the garment beneath the other two for some level of taste.

"I never thought this side of Seras even existed…" Integra observed in amazement, looking back at Alucard in between bouts of staring at the discarded clothing. The tone of her voice was completely stunned, her expression starting to turn red from the shock. "You'd think she would me classier than this… I mean, she could at least have taken her clothes with her, rather than risk being seen…"

"She and the Frenchman aren't like you and I," Alucard told her, not looking so much surprised as intrigued. "You see, they are a couple from the new generation. We're an old-fashioned couple, taking things slowly. Those two… are much more, _physical_, shall we say, than people like us are."

"This is all becoming a bit too much…" Integra finally decided aloud, leaning back against the railing of the balcony. "The arguments, the intruder, this… I'm growing rather tired, and I think it's best for all of us at this point that we go home. After that attack, the party will likely be over soon anyway…"

"I agree, my master," Alucard told her, stepping up to the woman and, with a motion that surprised her, picked up the Protestant Knight into his arms and jumped down from the second-story balcony to the grounds below. Landing on his feet, he immediately set Integra down, where she saw that their carriage was waiting. "You should step inside and get warm; I'll fetch the Police Girl and her escort."

"Just don't take too long," Integra instructed wearily, stepping towards the carriage doors and watching them open of their own volition. Once inside, she sat down and leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes before the door reclosed and the vampire turned, trying to hone in on the Draculina's location.

"_Police Girl… Seras Victoria…" _the vampire called out through his mind, sending his thoughts out like echolocation to find where they reciprocated from. _"Where are you…? Sir Integra and I are looking for you…"_

"_M-master…"_ Seras' rushed voice suddenly returned to his mind, sounding both surprised and embarrassed. _"N-now's not really a good time, you see… P-Pip and I are…"_

"_I guessed…"_ her master told her, sneering as his body broke down into black fog and proceeded to creep along the grounds into the shadows, following the path of the thoughts to an old, closed-down gardener's quarters or guest house. The owner had likely gone to be with their family, leaving it open and apparently unlocked. Rematerializing before the door, Alucard gave a light rap on the door before he heard a lot of whispering and the sound of light footsteps approaching.

Slowly, the door opened to reveal Seras standing there, her face flushed and sweaty, clad in her bra and her now-ruffled up skirt. "M-master…" the girl responded, slurring slightly and giving off the scent of intoxication. "H-how did you g-g-g… get here, so fast…?" she questioned, almost falling through the door before Alucard caught her, propping her up and letting her stand back up. "W-what do you w-want?"

"To return these to you," the vampire answered simply, producing Seras' clothes and handing them to her. The girl seemed rather taken aback by this gesture, and she stared up at her master while she looked through the things she left behind.

"Y… you didn't l-l-look at th-these, d-did you?" she questioned, grabbing her shirt out of the pile and pulling it on quickly. In the process, she knocked her other garments to the floor, and rushed to grabbed them up off the floor. "P-please tell m-me you didn't s-see a-a-anything…"

"No, but I'm seeing something right now," Alucard told his fledgling, pointing to the fact that she was squatting against the floor with her legs spread open. Immediately reaction, she closed her legs and fell over, seemingly too drunk to even hold up her own weight when moving. Over in the corner, Pip stood up from sitting on a bench, making his way slowly over to the now-unconscious girl.

"The Mignonette can't really 'old 'er liquor that well," he told Alucard, getting a subtle shake of the head in response. "Honestly, I didn't expect to see that from 'er; I mean, it's just so unreal…"

"Things around this time of year always are," Alucard instructed, before looking down at the girl. "Do you want me to carry her, or do you want to?"

"I'll do it, monsieur Alucard," Pip told the vampire, shaky but still able to hoist the girl up over his shoulder. Immediately after that, they stepped outside into the night air, walking back towards there the carriage was waiting. "Man, I 'ad twice what she 'ad and I'm barely even buzzed. Speaking of which… did you manage to get anything?"

Looking back as he walked, Alucard reached both hands into his coat and pulled out two bottles by the necks with each hand. In his left, two rather expensive liqueurs; and in the right, a pair of champagne rosés. Once Pip nodded, Alucard returned them to his pockets and said to the man, "Oh, and Frog… next time you and the Police Girl decide to get physical, please don't let her leave her underwear lying around where other people can find it…" Hearing this, Pip went wide-eyed, while Alucard simply looked back in reply with an amused smile.

"Oh, that uh…" The French mercenary started, trying to come up with a good answer without sounding too perverted. "Well, you see… She and I were a little busy and things got really hectic; and uh, you know, she 'ad a lot to drink and so… we kinda lost track of a lot of things."

"Like the time," Alucard pointed out. "It's almost midnight. Christmas Eve ends soon, and I doubt you want to spend Christmas morning in a gardener's quarters." Nodding his agreement, Pip turned back after speaking just in time to see the carriage approaching up ahead, stopping a few metres ahead of them and giving them a chance to walk right up to it.

Once they got close enough, the door of the vehicle swung open and revealed a weary-looking Integra, looking down at the three with a hint of curiosity on her face. "It's a story best saved for tomorrow morning," Alucard told his master, stopping and helping Pip to place the unconscious Police Girl into the seat opposite Sir Integra. Pip then got in and sat beside her, letting her form lean onto his shoulder when she fell over; and then Alucard climbed aboard as well, closing the door while he took his seat opposite the Mercenary.

"It's certainly been a night to remember," Integra noted, feeling the smooth motion of the horses as they started off in the direction of the Hellsing manor. Pip, tired from the day's activities, pulled his hat down over his face and fell soundly asleep beside his affectionate Police Girl, leaving Integra and Alucard the only ones awake of conscious inside the carriage. "To think, this could have happened so much sooner to me if I had gone a year earlier."

"I doubt that this course of actions would have been made possible any other year," Alucard told the woman, his voice slipping from his modern and rugged voice into another, more intriguing voice. This tone, much older, wiser and more calm and tranquil, with a knowledge beyond the appearance of the vampire; and, most noteworthy, a sophisticated-sounding Romanian accent. Shocked and aroused, Integra let the sound of the vampire's true voice replay again and again in her mind, letting the utter sexual appeal of the voice seep into the very fibre of her being.

"This is something I never thought I would live to experience," Integra noted, watching as Alucard's form became more hazy and distorted by the coursing of shadows around his form, pulsating rhythmically. "Those in my life who I am grateful for, and those that I love, all right here with me; my loneliness is something that I myself created, and across that I no longer have to bear."

Turning back to her dark prince, she noted that his appearance had changed due to his reformation. His hair, now longer and silkier, fell onto his lap and onto the seat from its length, his bangs now neatly arranged. On his face, a well-trimmed moustache covered his upper lip, adding to the distinguished character of his voice. "This is the life you were always meant to live," the Romanian-voiced vampire told his master, leaning over to her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "You and I… destiny bent itself to bring us together…"

Leaning in closely, Integra found herself half-falling asleep in the grasp of the Count, her head against his chest and her hair mixing smoothly into his. She could feel his heartbeat, his very essence, vibrating against her body; and she found herself, for the first time in as long as she could remember, lost in the embrace of the man she truly loved. _"I've come home to you, Count…"_

"_And how I have missed you, Countess…"_

By the time the morning had come to the Hellsing manor, Walter already found himself walking the halls of the building dressed in a red, white-lined vest with a matching hat, eager to begin the day with the residents of the building. The Wild Geese were, for the most part, gone, having returned to their families for the holidays; and since the four party-goers had gotten home last night, he had not heard a sound from any of them.

Not a sound, that is, until his rounds brought him past the entrance to Seras' chambers, through which his ears heard the feint sound of what he deduced to be… vomiting? Questioning what he was hearing, he reached smoothly for the door handle and turned it, entering slowly and quietly; and when he did, he cast a surprised glance on what he saw.

In the corner of the room, from the powder room whose door was currently open, Seras was on all fours, sprawled over the latrine with her head into the bowl, making noises he had never heard from a human before, let alone an undead. Opposite her, Pip crouched with his hand on her back, as though trying to comfort her; and the look on his face was one of shame and self-disappointment. "Miss Victoria, are you…?" Walter's question was cut short by another round of loud retching, which caused Walter to cringe and let out a surprised, "Oh my…"

"This is all my fault," Pip said, still dressed in his now wrinkled suit from the night before. "I should never 'ave let her 'ave this much to drink at the party last night…" Leaning over, he pulled the lever on the latrine and it flushed, followed by Seras leaning up from the bowl and turning around to collapse into Pip's open arms.

"This reminds me of the days when Arthur was in charge here," Walter reflected, stepping up to Seras and crouching down to give the girl a comforting hug. "This sort of thing was a regular occurrence back then, you know. That's why there are even loos down here, you know." Standing up, he helped Pip bring Seras out and into another section of the room, where they placed her on a couch to rest.

"I should be off to bring Sir Integra her morning tea now," Walter told Pip, speaking with the air of concern one doesn't normally hear on Christmas. "I'm actually surprised she isn't up by now; but once I give her that, I will be back with something for Miss Victoria's hangover. Then hopefully we can exchange gifts." With a pleased nod from both Pip and Seras, Walter bowed and then turned to leave, letting the two lovers stay to be with each other.

*+~Meanwhile~+*

As the light of the morning sun finally broke through the drawn curtains of Sir Integra's room, Alucard stirred, awakened by the sudden change of lighting in the room. Looking over to his left, the head of Integra was resting on his chest, her angelic face peacefully resting upon his chiselled form.

Slowly, the vampire allowed his body to break down into his shadowy form, creeping off the bed and pooling onto the floor as a mass of moving shadows. From this, his normal form less his hat and sunglasses slowly reformed; and he turned back to the sleeping Integra, who had not stirred at all from his motion.

After last night it came as no surprise to him that she would sleep through his leaving. She had been tired, tranquilized by the alcohol she had drank, and the worn out by the… intimate experiences they had shared. _"After so long of love-making when I was human, I would have been tired as well."_ Noting the way she slept, he moved one of his hands to pull the blanket up father over her chest, covering over the bare skin that had been exposed by his leaving the bed.

Then, unanticipated, a knock occurred at the door, one which got Alucard's attention and slowly stirred Integra from her sleep. "Sir Integra, I've come with your morning tea," Walter's voice issued through the door, decent enough not to enter without being permitted in. "I figured since you didn't come downstairs that I should bring the tea straight to you."

Though her face was completely shocked by this revelation, Integra managed to say in a calm and collected voice, "Yes, thank you Walter. I'll just be a minute." Pulling the covers back on her bed, she motioned for Alucard to grab her something to put on over her naked form; and swooping over to her wardrobe, be acknowledged by extracting from the furniture piece a red silk and lace bra, a matching pair of panties, and her preferred red nightgown.

'Hurry,' Integra then mouthed impatiently, to which Alucard responded by tossing her the articles in question. She quickly pulled the panties on, making sure of all things that her nether regions were covered; then she threw the bra on and clasped it together quickly, covering her nipples from view. Finally, she pulled the nightgown on in a rush and stood up before saying, "Enter."

Once she had said this word, Walter opened the door and stepped in with the silver tea tray, teapot and teacup in place; and with a surprised expression, he brought the tray over and sat it on the bed. "Please excuse me, Sir Alucard, for not bringing you anything; but I had not known you were here."

"It's perfectly alright Walter," the vampire answered. "I'm just returning to my chambers right now, you see, so I can…"

"I'm afraid I can't have you leave right now," Integra told Alucard in a serious tone, before turning back to Walter. "You can have some blood brought to the main area for the gift opening." Bowing in response to the command, Walter then turned and left with the tea still in place, closing the door behind him so that Integra could have whatever words with Alucard she wanted.

"I'm still not done with you from last night," the woman then told her servant slyly, reaching in under her nightgown as she said these words. With a tug at the ribbons on either side of the garment, they came loose and fell to the floor at her feet; to which Alucard responded with his trademark Cheshire cat grin, eager for what was in store.

"A Colt Peacemaker?" Pip questioned with wide-eyed glee, opening the gift before him and looking at the classic firearm before him. "Where did you manage to find something like this?" Turning to Seras, who had given him the gift, the Mercenary – now clad in more comfortable clothes, along with all save for Alucard – seemed completely stunned that she could have found such a thing.

"My father was a vintage arms collector," Seras explained, picking up the old-fashioned revolver from Pip's hands and looking over it. "This was one of his favourite pieces. I never got to use them when he was alive, though; but I did inherit them, and my foster father trained me to shoot properly using that thing. That was years ago, though," she added, handing back the weapon, "and it had a bit of a jamming issue so I don't know if it still fires."

"Moi? Fire an antique like this?" Pip questioned, laying the gun back in its case as though it were made of incredibly brittle glass. "Especially when it's a gift from mon Mignonette." Smiling to Seras, the girl reciprocated and came forwards, embracing the Mercenary in an affectionate hug that brought similar smiles to the faces of the others."

"Alright Walter," Alucard suddenly stated, uncrossing his arms so he could reach in with his right hand and pull a wrapped object the size of a microwave out of his coat, handing it to Walter. The butler then reached to grab it with one hand, but Alucard wagged his finger and said, "No, no; it's far too heavy for one hand." Intrigued, Walter held out both hands to take the object, while Alucard placed it gingerly into his grasp.

"My my," Walter grunted, getting down on his shins to set down the gift so he could open it. "This is certainly a large package." Standing back up, Walter gave a flick of his wrist and the paper suddenly shredded into a rain of confetti, the edges of his wires gleaming in the sun. Underneath all of this, a mahogany wooden case was visible, with a silver-engraved 'WCD' on the lid.

Bending down again, the retainer then grabbed the lid and opened it up slowly, becoming rather amazed when he saw the contents. Inside the box, three objects suspended in individual wrappings. First, a platinum-rimmed monocle with a rather ornate design and a polarized glass lens, something he had been meaning to replace his old one with. Unhooking the chain from his ear, he reached in with the delicate precision of a surgeon and grabbed the item, putting it on and getting an approving nod from the rest.

The second item was inside a wrapped package covered in tape. With another flick of his wires, he opened it to reveal a brand new uniform, which he examined and found to be most comfortable and completely pristine. Third, and final, was a collapsible mahogany walking cane with a crystal orb at the end, which he then held up and put against the floor, finding it perfectly matched to his height. "Thank you so very much, Alucard."

"Don't think I've forgotten about any of you," Alucard noted, three extra arms sprouting from his back each with a gift in one of their hands. Moving the appendages around, he passed a gift each to Integral, Seras and Pip, who grabbed them quickly before Alucard's arms simply dissolved into nothingness.

Tearing the paper open with their nails, Integra and Seras got their gifts open first. From Integra's, she found both a brand new leisure suit – done up in a delicious scarlet, no doubt to match Alucard's coat – and a new lavender bath robe as well, to replace the one she was gradually wearing through. In Seras' gift, she found a new iPhone, as well as a blue version of her Hellsing uniform complete with black stockings and white gloves.

"They're perfect, Alucard," Integra told to her servant, with Seras simultaneously saying the same thing save for substituting the word 'Alucard' for 'Master'. Alucard then smiled, bearing his fangs as he watched the mercenary open up his gift as well. The man went wide-eyed when he saw what was in his hand, looking at Alucard as though he had liberated Tibet.

"Sacré bleu! A Thompson SMG?" he questioned, hoisting the weapon and looking at it thoroughly. Walter and Integra immediately recognized the weapon in question, while Seras and Pip simply looked at it in shock. In the box there was also a single 100-count ammunition drum, which Seras grabbed and locked in place immediately.

"It has some slight battle wear, but to my knowledge it's otherwise in perfect working order," the vampire noted, watching Pip again place the weapon back in its case gingerly. "I hope you all have enjoyed your gifts." Crossing his arms behind his back, the vampire watched everyone give him a look of complete sheer, before Walter stepped off to the other side of the tree.

"Now Alucard, I'm sorry to tell you this," Integra told her servant, seemingly slightly sombre, "but between us we collectively only got you one gift." The vampire's face was somewhat disappointed by this statement, but it livened up again when she said, "Though that was due to the sheer price and such of it. I think you will enjoy it."

"Oh, bollocks, this is…" Walter groaned, straining to lift whatever the object was. "I'm not as strong as I used to be, I guess. Mister Bernadotte, would you be so kind as to assist me with this thing."Getting up from his spot, Pip stepped around to the other side of the tree and grabbed one end of the object, Walter grabbing the other; and together the two hoisted it and brought it around, where Alucard laid it against one arm.

"My, this is heavy," Alucard noted, tearing through the paper and finding a steel case underneath. Discarding the wrappings, he clicked the latches on it and opened the lid; and when he did so, his eyes went wider than anybody else's had that day.

"It should be heavy," Integra noted. "It's made of solid wrought iron, you know," Lifting the object up from the case, Alucard saw before him a handgun more massive than anything he had ever seen before. Placing the case gently at his feet, he hoisted the weapon, which was the size of a small rifle.

"The .700 Anti-Freak Siege Pistol, which for now we simply call the Jackal Mark Two," Walter stated, referencing the similar inscription on the side to his old black weapon. "60cm barrel with a total length of 75cm, and an unheard-of loaded weight of 31kg. Right-side case ejector, to allow for use with your original Jackal."

"I 'elped choose a good calibre for somebody with your strength," Pip noted, grabbing the magazine and handing it up to Alucard. "I found these on one mission in Liverpool; .700 Nitro Express, the largest bullet they make. No other 'andgun chambers these; in fact, we 'ad to design modified ones just so they could fit into a magazine somebody could grip."

"The bullets themselves are massive armour-piercers," Seras noted, pulling out from her pocket a single modified round. The bullet was the thickness of her thumb, and the length of her middle finger with its case. "Normally used for hunting game, they're powered not by gunpowder, but Nitrocellulose, a mixture of gunpowder and nitro-glycerine, for the added punch."

"And, of course," Integra closed, stepping up and looking over the weapon herself, "the weapon is far beyond the means of a normal human to wield with two hands, let alone one. If this doesn't do in the Priest Anderson, nothing will." Everybody in the room the instantly began to laugh at the comment she had made, while Alucard placed the 12-shot magazine into his new weapon and lock it in place.

"I could not envision a more perfect gift, all of you," the vampire told them, smiling more strongly than they thought possible. Integra then immediately leaned over and wrapped her arms around her vampire servant's neck, drawing him into a strong and passionate kiss that put a totally stunned expression on the faces of everyone else in the room.

When Integra released Alucard from her grip, she turned to see the expressions of everybody else present, looking at her incredulously. "Well, 'tis the season," she told them simply, putting a smile onto everyone's face.

End…

_*Everyone singing*_

**Walter:** …Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!

**Pip:** Merry Hellsing he yelled…

**Seras:** …As he ran out of sight.

**Integra:** Merry Hellsing to all…

**Alucard:** …And to all, a good bite!

**All:** Merry Christmas from Hellsing, Genma no Ou and .


End file.
